The light is still pink in the sky when I make it back to my room. I try to be quiet, but Cassie’s already up, sitting on the bed and staring at the doorway. I don’t know if she was worried about me or just worried that we may soon be unemployed. Anxiety tightens my throat when I see she’s even already packed a lot of things up.

“Everything all right?” Cassie asks, her eyes full of meaning. “I figured you were with Tony but was still a little worried.”

Hell no, everything's not all right. “I’m a little down, but I’ll be fine,” I lie.

She stares at me for a moment and then looks away. “I’m nervous,” she finally says. “You know . . . about what the outcome is going to be.”

“Don’t be,” I reassure her. “Everything is going to turn out fine.”

Cassie snorts. She knows I’m not a psychic, and I’m just spouting bullshit. “I certainly hope so.”

“It will,” I repeat, turning away so she doesn’t see the tears in my eyes. I want to tell her how I felt this morning, waking up just as the sky started to lighten, being in his arms, enveloped in his warmth. I want to tell her how hard it was to leave his side, knowing it was probably our last time together.

But I don’t.

I strip off my dirty clothes and get a quick shower before we get dressed. But there’s a pall over our actions. Neither of us wants to be putting on the nicer, professional clothes that feel appropriate for this meeting with Wes. Downstairs at the breakfast table, I avoid eye contact with Tony. He looks handsome as usual, dressed more conservatively in gray slacks and a white dress shirt. No matter what, the next few hours are going to be hard. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife, not just between Tony and me but between all of us.

I choke down a grapefruit and wait. Just as someone’s watch beeps, the first time I’ve heard a watch our whole trip here, Wesley comes in with Alani, Mo Mo on his shoulder.

“Good morning,” he says, smiling at us. “So I spent the night reading, thinking about what I should do. To say that I was both surprised and touched by what I read is an understatement. After reading what you both had to say, I reflected and meditated. I spoke with Alani about them, and we discussed it for hours more. Hell, I even talked to Mo Mo about this decision.”

Mo Mo squawks. “Mo Mo genius!”

He chuckles, while in my gut, I wonder if my entire fate is going to rest on the opinion of a bird that insists on calling me a big booty ho. “Ultimately, I want to do the right thing for Alani and her people. I took into account what was best for them, for the karma of the land, for which of you would do more to ensure that we maintain the spirit of tradition and respect their history while continuing forward on their journey to new sunrises. I wanted to make sure the winner would be the person who will hold this place as dear to their heart as I do. I wanted to make sure they continue in balance with the cycles of Mother Nature.”

He pauses, looking at each of us. It’s so quiet I can hear a pin drop, and I can see the former industrialist in him. He loves the spectacle of drawing out the moment of the announcement. “I took more than just your performance into account, but I’m sure you already know that. If I were still running a company, I’d offer any of you a job right now. I also looked over your proposals, the files you brought with you that I’m sure you thought I totally ignored. But most of all, I looked at your spirits, your souls, and you’ve shown me that and more. With all that in mind, I’ve decided to sell to Hannah and Aurora Holdings.”

Cassie throws her fist into the air, and despite my reservation, I get up and hug Wesley before ignoring Tony’s offered handshake to hug him tightly. “Thank you so much,” I whisper in his ear. “I have a feeling you had a hand in that.”

He whispers back. “Congratulations. You deserve it.” He has a faint smile on his face as he steps back.

“Tony—”

“Can you tell us what set them apart?” Caleb asks, cutting me off. “You realize they’re probably going to tear this place down to put up a fucking resort hotel, right?”

“One of the greatest forces on Earth is water,” Wesley says. “Water flows, but at the same time, it can crash. Water and time will even someday reduce these islands to the oceans from which they were born. Change is inevitable, Caleb.”

Tony raises his hand. “Caleb, everything’s going to be fine.”

Caleb turns to Tony. I don’t think he really wanted the philosophy speech. “I know that, Tony. I just wanted some answers, especially for Oli. Is that too much to ask?”

Caleb sighs, nodding at us even though he’s clearly not in the best of moods “Thank you for your hospitality and this crazy adventure, Wes. Congrats, ladies. You did earn it. I’m man enough to admit that. It just really sucks to be in a tough situation. But it is what it is. I’m going to go get my shit together.”

He turns and walks off, Tony staring at him but not following.

“Get your shit together!” Mo Mo screeches.

“I . . .” I begin, but Tony shakes his head.

“I’m sorry about that, you guys. I’ll talk to him. He’s just a little upset.”

“It’s okay,” Wesley says, smiling. “If you need any help with your bags, we’d be glad to help,” he says, nodding at Alani, who hands Tony a package. “Just a book for your flight home and contact information. If you ever need someone to vouch for you . . . just give me a call. Hannah, Cassie, let’s discuss business in a half hour or so.”

Wesley gives us a nod and a smile before leaving. Tony crosses the room and leans in, giving Cassie a look that she reads perfectly, ditching the room. “I think I’ll give Myra the good news, if you don’t mind.”

Cassie leaves, and Tony clears his throat in the silence. “Can I speak to you for a moment?”

“I’d like that,” I reply, while silently hoping he says the words that I’ve been praying to hear. We go out onto the porch, looking around. The day is searingly beautiful, although on the horizon, I can see rain clouds gathering. I suppose it’s appropriate, considering the way I feel. “You know, I’m going to miss this place.”

“What do you mean?” Tony asks, leaning on the railing. “You’ll be coming back here, I’m sure. Aurora is going to need a top-notch project manager.”

I shake my head. “It won’t be the same. Things will be different.”

Tony reaches over, taking my hand. “Hannah . . . even if the resort thing were true, I want you to forget what Caleb said. I want you to be happy. You fought for this. You earned it and you deserve it. Someone else would’ve bought this place if it weren’t us. Better us, or those we represent, than someone else.”

He’s saying so many nice things, but each one is like a dagger in my heart. Why won’t he say what I want him to say? Why can’t he say it first? I come close but back off. The separation is so much, and he’s going to have a lot of explaining to do when he gets back home.

I’ve always been afraid of falling in love. That level of vulnerability seems like a freefall with a mere whispered promise of being caught in the safety of his arms. I’ve always worried I’d end up hurt, or worse, sacrificing myself to the relationship. Finally, I find a man I think I’m falling in love with, and maybe worth the risk of jumping in, but this feels like the end.

“Hannah, I don’t regret saying those nasty things to you that first night we met,” Tony says, chuckling. “Because they at least allowed us to get to know each other some. And this time here . . . I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” He leans in close and pulls me in for a sweet, painful kiss. “I wish you all the best, Hannah Fowler. You’re one hell of a woman.” He stares at me for a long moment, as if he doesn’t want to leave, before letting out a soft sigh. “Give me a call when everything’s settled back at work. Let me know how things are going?”

It feels like a brushoff, or at least, a finality, so I nod softly, the pain of my heart cracking and hurting too much to let me speak.

Then slowly, as if committing my face to memory for eternity, Tony turns and goes inside. Moments later, I hear him calling something to the house staff. I don’t look up as I hear the doors on Tony’s rented car close, the engine fire up, and he drives off. I whip my head up as I hear the tires crunch over a rock, but he’s already made the turn, and I can hear him accelerate. I nearly crumble as I round the corner of the house and all I see is the cherry red tail lights. “Tony . . .”

I feel like screaming, like jumping off the porch and chasing after him, but before I can, I hear a quiet voice behind me. “Hey . . . you ready?”

I turn to see Cassie, her face alight with happiness, and I swallow my tears. I still have paperwork to do, stuff to get signed. I feel the happiness too, but it’s bitter in my mouth and I swallow reflexively. “Yeah. Let’s get those papers signed . . . then . . .”

“Yeah?”

“I just wanna go home.”

* * *

Fourteen hours.

Now, normally, if I think of doing something for fourteen hours, I’m not this exhausted. I’ve done fourteen hours at work before, I’ve done fourteen hours shopping—okay, I was tired then—I even once had an ex who wanted to do a ‘sex-a-thon’ that lasted almost that long before he tapped out.

In none of them have I been this exhausted. The plane ride was hell, not because of the seats, but just because it felt like every step going through the airport, I had a huge rubber band pulling me back, telling me not to go. I couldn’t get much sleep on the plane. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Tony, and twice, Cassie shook me awake from a nightmare of chasing after Tony and him disappearing into darkness.

Now I walk into my modest apartment, and at the first sniff, I hate it. It’s not that it’s dirty. I made sure to scrub the place before I left, but looking around the soulless, empty cracker box, I just hate it. It’s everything that Wesley’s place wasn’t. There’s white paint on the walls, a tasteful and chic tile floor, steel in the kitchen . . . and I don’t even have a plant to water. There’s no soul, there’s nothing that says Hannah Fowler lives here. I don’t have any photos on the walls, no mementos, nothing. Except for Mr. Felix’s stuff, it’s like I’m paying monthly rent on a room at a Ramada.

I sigh again, putting my bag down and wishing for a little bit of beauty. The sunsets were the best, but I can’t see a damn thing except the city from my single double-paned, hermetically sealed glass door. I don’t even want to open it anyway. It’ll let in too much smell of fried hydrocarbons and humanity, when all I really want is rich forest smells, mangoes on a humid breeze, and a kiss of salt in the evening air.

I don’t have a home. I have a sleeping box. It’s fucking hollow, just like my victory, and now, just like my heart, which has ached constantly since seeing Tony drive away. I look at my bag, I know I should put my stuff away, but fuck it. I have a closet full of things.

My phone rings, and I see that it’s Roxy. “Hey, babe, how’s it going?” I answer.

“I thought that’d be my line,” Roxy says chirpily. “So, how’s it going?”

“I’m back,” I admit, lying back on my couch. “In the end . . . well, we won. I got the contract.”

“Congratulations! Isn’t that good news? Why don’t you sound happy?”

I feel something unknot in my chest, and in moments, the tears I’ve been holding back for hours start flowing down my cheeks, and I find myself telling Roxy everything. Every challenge, every tease Tony and I sent back and forth . . . everything. “And now, I’ve got a feather in my cap that a lot of people would kill for, and I don’t care. I love him, Roxy. I love him and he’s gone.”

“Babe . . .” Roxy says quietly, letting my tears quiet down. “Okay, listen. I know you’re wiped by jet lag, but as soon as you can, let’s get together and talk about this. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment tomorrow afternoon, but what about tomorrow evening?”

“Maybe Friday would be better, Rox. No offense, but I plan on going to work tomorrow, getting the pat on the back that maybe will make me feel better about this, and then sleep my ass off.”

After we finish, I decide I’m too tired to go out and order some Chinese delivery. When it comes, I’m barely able to get it down. Instead of fresh foods like I’ve been eating, it’s quick and in a box. I get halfway through the sweet and sour pork before giving up and deciding that I need to get ready for tomorrow.

Myra sent me an email. I’ve got a presentation to the Aurora board, and I need to make sure that’s good before I go to bed.

I’m in the middle of my routine when my eyes fall on the picture Tony and me taken at the falls. I set my laptop to cycle through photos as the screensaver. In it, I’m happily in his arms, my smile as bright as the sun. I try, but I can’t remember the last time I saw such a lively spark in my eyes. I look genuinely happy in the photo. And so does Tony.

My heart skips a beat as I feel tears prick my eyes. Oh, how I miss him already.

He told me to call him.

I resist the urge to grab my phone and dial his number. He said to call when the contract was settled, but my pain is too fresh. I’ll just break down at the sound of his voice.

Sighing, I resume going about getting prepared for tomorrow.

* * *

The next morning, I’m still feeling like a space zombie as jet lag combines with everything else as Cassie pulls around in her little Toyota. “Hey, did you get any sleep at all?”

I shake my head, quickly sucking more homebrew iced espresso. At least my outfit looks good. I made sure of that. “An hour or two. You?”

Cassie shrugs and puts a hand on my thigh. “I’m so sorry,” she says quietly. “I know I gave you some hard times, but you were great over there. I really wish things could have turned out differently for you and Tony.”

“It’s okay. We got the contract and we both keep our jobs, so something good came out of our trip.”

“Yeah, there is that.” Cassie pulls away from the curb while I nurse my bottle some more, hoping I don’t hit caffeine overload before lunch. I’ve got some gum in my purse, so hopefully I don’t nuke blast anyone with my breath. At the red light, she lets out a big sigh.

“What?”

“I just wish I woulda got to knee Caleb in the balls. At least once, especially after that last little comment of his.”

I laugh. “Who knows? You might get your chance someday.”

Cassie chuckles. “Come on, we’re here.”

We pull up to the building and make a stop at our desks on the fifth floor, doing a last-minute breath and mirror check to be ready. I’ve got on my best pencil skirt, the black one that cuts off right at the knees, and after eating better and exercising on the island, it fits better than ever. I’ve got my best tight white blouse on, and my hair is swept up just right to balance power with looks.

Cassie stops by my desk, also looking her best, her makeup flawless. “Let’s go in here and let the ‘suits’ know what bad bitches we are.”

“Excuse me?” I ask, and I can’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. “I’m the bad bitch. Remember, I hit something with my arrows.”

“It is not how many arrows you send home. The true bad bitch receives without lifting a finger,” Cassie says with a fake Wesley accent. “You’re just the wannabe.”

I laugh. I can’t help it. “Whatever, oh master of the rabbit style.”

We take the elevator up to the twenty-third floor, and as we cross the expensive marble floor of the executive reception area, I feel like we’ve earned the right to walk across such hallowed ground. I know my heels for damn sure appreciate it. “Hey, Ruby,” I greet the receptionist, who used to work down on five with us. I hand over the bag of muffins in my hand. “Here, picked these up for you.”

“Thanks,” she says. “You’ve got about ten minutes, by the way. Heard you two rocked. Congrats.”

We thank Ruby and head in, where Cassie sets up her laptop while I make sure I have all the hard copies ready. Right at ten, Myra comes in, dressed sharp as a tack in her best power suit, the silver piping on the black perfectly matching with her hair, her smile evident as she closes the door behind us. “Have a seat. I’m looking forward to hearing the details.”

The meeting seems to take a decade, as before Cassie and I can present, there’s seemingly endless board minutiae. Finally, it’s our turn, and Cassie and I stand in front of the board. “Ladies and gentlemen of the board, thank you for the chance to deliver the results personally. First, let me say that yes, Aurora Holdings has secured the contract to Wesley Mobber’s estate, as you can see from the copies that Miss White is distributing to you all now.”

“So, you got Mobber to sign, did you?” asks Lois Zeigler, CEO of Aurora. Just as Myra’s been sort of my mentor, Lois was Myra’s. “How did you manage that?”

I take a deep breath and smile, while Cassie chuckles. We start our presentation, explaining that upon arriving at the eccentric owner’s estate, he was less interested in Aurora’s offer and finances and more focused on ensuring that his legacy continued. I described the challenges, showing some of the best photos I took during my stay, highlighting some of the estate’s unique features that will benefit Aurora for marketing and development. As we come to a close, I finish up by giving a nod to Cassie. “Cassie was an invaluable asset and more helpful than I could’ve imagined. I’d like to say that there’s no way I could have succeeded without her help.”

Cassie’s beaming as I wrap it up, but as I look out at everyone, I see stony, unimpressed faces. The comments start almost immediately.

“Games?”

“Mud pit?”

“Hiking?”

Lois clears her throat, giving us a totally nonplussed look. “It sounds more like a spa vacation than any actual work, Miss Fowler and Miss White. But I guess your methods bore results. So congrats, I suppose. Now, moving on . . ."

I exchange disbelieving glances with Cassie. Did you just hear that? I want to tell her, and I can see the same reaction on Cassie’s face. Didn’t they do their homework on Wesley and know it wasn’t going to just be a matter of discussing numbers? Did Myra not fill them in at all along the way?

This is most definitely not the response we were expecting. We were expecting fanfare and to be heroes for scoring an impossible deal, some recognition for working our asses off for this! I didn’t even mention Tony and me and how I had to watch the first man I’ve ever truly loved walk out of my life.

“I can’t believe that!” Cassie fumes after we leave. In the elevator back down to five, she explodes. “They didn’t care about us. We’re nothing to them. I wish I could knee her cunt through her nose.”

“Myra didn’t even speak up for us,” I add, keeping my jaw clenched to prevent me saying more. If I got fired after all of this, I might die.

“Yeah, that was total bullshit too,” Cassie says, sighing. “I expected more.”

She’s telling me. I mean, I didn’t expect to be given the keys to the executive washroom, but I did expect at least some sort of recognition. A thank you for your service. Hell, maybe even a promotion. But instead . . . it all just feels empty.